Cake-Mix Cakes Just Got Cuter!

Birthday Pancakes

Mix a batch of boxed yellow cake batter and add in sprinkles. Ladle the batter into a nonstick skillet or griddle preheated with butter. Flip once bubbles form on top, about 3 minutes, and cook until done, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Mix water and powdered sugar until drizzly, then top!

Rainbow Slices

Mix white cake batter according to the box directions, then divide it among 6 bowls, starting with 1/2 cup in the first bowl and working up to 1 1/2 cups in the last. Whisk a different color of gel food dye into each bowl -- red in the smallest, then orange, yellow, green, blue, and end with violet in the largest. (Rinse the whisk to prevent color mixing.) Starting with the largest, pour each bowl of batter into the middle of a greased 9-inch round cake pan, spinning it after each addition to distribute evenly. Tent with foil to prevent browning and bake at 325°F until cooked through, about 1 hour.

Cake-Filled Cones

Mix cake batter according to the box directions. Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones into the slots of a mini-muffin tin, then tuck aluminum foil around each one so they don't wobble. Drop a tablespoon of cake batter into the bottom of each cone, then use a skewer or the back of a spoon to nestle it in and prevent air bubbles. Fill the cones with more batter, leaving about a 1/2-inch border at the tops. Bake according to package directions until a skewer poked into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then pipe or dollop frosting on top and finish with sprinkles.

Chocolate Tacos

Mix chocolate cake batter according to the box directions, but add 1 extra cup of water (the batter should have the consistency of chocolate syrup). Ladle the batter into a round nonstick pan preheated with butter, swirling the pan in a circular motion as soon as the batter hits it to form a thin shell. Flip when cooked on one side. Top half of the shell with whipped cream, sliced bananas, broken nut brittle and caramel sauce, then fold the other half over to cover. Dust with confectioners' sugar.